On the Cusp

Host Elisabeth Braw speaks to Kusti Salm, Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defence, about Zapad-2021, Russia’s quadrennial military exercise. Salm previously served as the Director General of the Estonian Centre of Defence Investment.

Host Elisabeth Braw speaks to Ojars Kalnins, a member of Latvia’s parliament and vice chair of its foreign affairs committee, about Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s escalating grayzone aggression against Belarus’s European neighbors. Kalnins, a long-time parliamentarian, previously served as Latvia’s Ambassador to the United States from 1993 to 2000.

Host Elisabeth Braw speaks to Staffan Truvé, co-founder and CTO of Recorded Future, on the threat of Chinese cyber-aggression and espionage and its Digital Silk Road Initiative. They also discuss how liberal democracies and private companies can limit their risk to cyber risks and attacks. Truvé previously served as CEO of the Swedish Institute of Computer Science and Interactive Institute. He holds a PhD in computer science from Chalmers University of Technology and an MBA from Göteborg University.

Host Elisabeth Braw speaks to Jānis Sārts, Director of NATO’s Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, about how disinformation is changing (think AI and individually targeted disinformation). They also discuss social media platforms’ obligations and what legislators can do. Sārts previously served as Latvia's State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and Chair of Latvia’s National Cyber Security Board.

Host Elisabeth Braw, speaks to Member of the European Parliament Andrius Kubilius about Belarus force landing a plan carrying Belarusian dissident journalist Roman Protasevich. They also discuss authoritarian leader Lukashenka flooding the Lithuanian border with Middle Eastern migrants in response to European Union sanctions. Mr. Kubilius is the chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy in the European Parliament.

Host, Elisabeth Braw, speaks to US Congressman Jim Langevin about how cyber aggression fissures belief in the government and derails our everyday lives. They talk ransomware, preparing the public for national emergencies, and dis-/mis-information campaigns that have impacted US politics. Rep Langevin is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the Chairman of the Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, and of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Host, Elisabeth Braw, discusses the vulnerabilities and risks impacting the global commercial shipping industry with Cormac Mc Garry, Senior Maritime Analyst at Control Risks, and Simon Lockwood, Head of Shipping at Willis Towers Watson.

Host, Elisabeth Braw, speaks to Mark Dickinson, Space Data Association Chairman and Executive Director, about the dark side of space start-ups, the dangers of overcrowding and space debris, the rise of space weapons, and why we need regulations or norms to guide behaviors in space.

Host, Elisabeth Braw, speaks to Ciaran Martin, founding chief executive of the UK National Cyber Security Centre, about Biden's response to the Solar Winds cyber attack, lessons we can learn from the Bank of Bangladesh heist about emerging cyber crimes, and cyber resilience.

Host, Elisabeth Braw, speaks with Chris Inglis, nominee for the United States' first-ever National Cyber Director, about cyber aggression, how to create systems to encourage "good behavior" online, and how the private sector should be part of the solution.